After 4 dismal weekends of either too much or too little wind Clevedon Sailing Club's season finally got under way on Easter Monday although conditions once again turned out to be far from ideal. 16 boats started the first race with a light northerly wind and sunshine. At the end of the first lap the slower handicap boats of Sarah Hotchkiss (Solo) and Paul Sheldon (Laser) were not far behind the faster handicap boats and looked well set up to take the leading places. However as the wind strength continued to drop they struggled to complete lap 2 while the faster boats of Robin Goff (D Zero) and Martin and Ella Gibson (Tasar) managed to reach the finishing line.
OOD Paul Hield reversed the course direction for race 2 so that if necessary boats could take advantage of the lesser tide along the shore once the tide turned. The race started in very little wind and most of the fleet retired at the first mark while Goff and Gibson crawled slowly out to the sea mark followed by Sheldon and Hotchkiss. The faster boats managed to reach the Pump house mark before the now ebbing tide built up much speed but the slow boats, now becalmed out at sea, gave up and also retired. The race was finished after 1 lap with Goff taking the gun.
Overall Results
1st R Goff (D Zero)
2nd Martin and Ella Gibson (Tasar)
3rd Paul Sheldon (Laser)
Boats struggle to make progress during Clevedon's Easter Bonnet Race